An alarming rise in dengue cases across Gaibandha district has exposed severe mismanagement at Gaibandha General Hospital, where dengue patients are being treated alongside general patients due to the absence of a dedicated ward.
Although the hospital’s old building has an official capacity of 50 beds, around 450 patients – including 25 diagnosed with dengue – are currently admitted, forcing many to receive treatment on corridor floors.
Increasing patient pressure, coupled with a shortage of doctors, has severely affected healthcare delivery, while a newly constructed building remains non-operational due to a lack of equipment.
On-site observations revealed that dengue patients are crammed into shared spaces with general patients without using mosquito nets, escalating panic among visitors and raising the risk of viral transmission.
Relevant officials emphasised that dengue patients must be always kept under mosquito nets so that mosquitoes cannot bite infected individuals and transmit the virus to healthy people.
Although sufficient doctors are available for dengue care, severe space constraints cause immense suffering, compounded by stagnant water in surrounding rubbish heaps emitting a foul stench that has gone uncleaned for months despite daily sanitation rules.
Thousands of people from across the district visit the hospital daily, but admitted patients face severe hardship as overwhelmed nurses struggle to manage the influx and most medicines must be purchased from outside shops.
Amidst this crisis, the hospital superintendent was observed chatting with doctors in his room while patients were being admitted.
Patients and their relatives voiced strong grievances over the prevailing conditions. Azmol Hossain, a dengue patient from Dhangora in Gaibandha Sadar Upazila, said that he is enduring great suffering on the corridor floor due to a lack of vacant beds, adding that nurses do not respond when issues arise.
Tofazzal, a patient from East Komornoi in Gaibandha town, described the situation as harassing, questioning whether the facility is a government hospital or a cowshed where healthy people would fall ill.
Kona Akter, who admitted her young child on Wednesday with sudden stomach pain, cited overcrowded conditions, an absence of doctors, unresponsive nursing staff who appear once in ten calls, and pervasive stench.
Ayesha Akter, whose father was admitted following a dengue diagnosis, lamented that his health is worsening inside the facility, asking where poor families like theirs can go.
When approached regarding the situation, the hospital’s Resident Medical Officer (RMO), Dr Asifur Rahman declined to comment and directed enquiries to the superintendent, saying he could not take that burden.
Meanwhile, Gaibandha Samajik Sangram Parishad Convener Jahangir Kabir Tonu said that residents have long been deprived of quality care because most doctors, including the superintendent, are involved in earning commissions from private hospitals and clinics under political patronage.
He further alleged that the current superintendent was transferred to Gaibandha after being made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at another hospital due to past offences, accusing him of forming a large syndicate and focusing on tender business rather than improving healthcare services.
Dr Shahidullah, superintendent of Gaibandha 250-bed Hospital, refused to speak to journalists, citing restrictions imposed by higher authorities. He subsequently stormed out of his room in anger after a follow-up question was asked.
